Ted Rants: A Not So Excellent Adventure!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by alphaheel

For some time now, various elements of what the Right Wing refers to as the Lame Stream Media, among other pejoratives, has been dissecting the most recent anti-Obama rant, courtesy of Ted Nugent. Mr. Nugent, the Millennials and Generation Z cohorts, is a Rock Musician who era of popularity principally spanned the late 60’s to 1980. He continued to tour through at least 2011. However, his more recent media buzz has emanated from the socio-political genre. He is a social conservative and outspoken advocate of Second Amendment protections.

In 2012, Nugent endorsed Mitt Romney for President, after a great deal of soul-searching. He was reportedly reluctant because Mr. Romney, prior to seeking the highest office in the land, was known for more moderate positions on Gun Control. Mr. Romney’s repudiation of those previously held positions, a heart-to-heart with the man who would be (the Republican) President, and their mutual Michigan roots were, apparently, enough to mollify the Rocker from the Motor City.

After lending his endorsement to Mitt, Nugent voiced what the “Thug Music” crew call “Ride of Die” mantra. He declared to the NRA:

• I will be dead or in jail by this time next year if Barack Obama is re-elected

• Compared the President to a coyote that should be shot

• Called the Obama Administration vile, evil, and America-hating

• We need to ride onto the battlefield and cut their heads off

• Our Government is wiping its ass with the Constitution

• We’ll be a suburb of Indonesia if Obama is elected President (again)

• Invoked folks to take up arms to shoot the President

Fast-forward to 2012, and Teddy apparently rethought, or delayed the execution of his implied threats to “take-out” President Obama. After all, he was re-elected, and more than a year has passed. Nevertheless, there is no time like the present for a new rant. During the week dedicated to the observance of the contributions and sacrifices made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Nugent decided to let loose with more of his best work. This time, his vitriol, aimed at a group called Guns.com, included:

• Communist-raised (Graduated from Socialist, I guess)

• Communist-educated

• Communist-nurtured (Different from raising, I guess, though I don’t know how, exactly)

• Bad man

• Treasonous

• Gangster

• Sub-human Mongrel (akin to the German word, Untermensch, which the Nazis called Jews…to justify genocide in the Jewish Community

Nugent hit the road right after his recent comments to campaign for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, a Texas Gubernatorial candidate, who has his own history with controversial comments and laws inhibiting voting rights. Texas’ new Voter ID law is so restrictive that it made it difficult for some women to vote because they married, and their maiden name appeared as a middle name. More obviously, the law disproportionately affected the low income, people of color, students, and the elderly.

Rather than condemning Nugent for his remarks, the campaign welcomed the help. A spokesperson noted, “The controversy is what he said in the past. We are not endorsing Ted Nugent, he is supporting us,” a campaign aide told CNN. “It’s easy to criticize some of the language he has used in the past. He is protected under the Constitution, like you and I.”

A number of prominent Republicans have distanced themselves from Nugent’s comments. Some such as Ted Cruz did so, softly; others made their denunciation quite clear.

Cruz, whom many speculate will be a presidential candidate in the 2016 election, initially evaded CNN inquiries about Nugent’s comments, but eventually stated gingerly, “Those sentiments there, of course I don’t agree with them. You’ve never heard me say such a thing, nor would I.”

When asked directly about campaigning with Nugent, Cruz at first avoided the question. He later relented and answered, saying, “I haven’t yet, and I’m going to avoid engaging in hypotheticals.” Alternately, Nugent told the audience in a Google Hangout with a Detroit rock station that he and Cruz “have worked closely together.”

After Texas Governor Rick Perry, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and Arizona Senator John McCain, fellow GOP conservatives, blasted him, Nugent finally managed to construct and proffer a pseudo-apology. His rendering:

“I do apologize – not necessarily to the President, but on behalf of much better men than myself, for using the streetfighter terminology of ‘subhuman mongrel’ instead of just using more understandable language, such as, ‘violator of his oath to the Constitution.”

Mr. Nugent is no stranger to controversy or incendiary language. He leveraged outrage over these comments to ratchet up his diatribe to attack Hillary Clinton, saying, she has “spare scrotums.” Subsequently, in a series of more than 40 tweets, Nugent questioned whether his terminology was really that offensive. Oh well, I guess you could say, “Ted Rants: A Not So Excellent Adventure!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nugent

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/02/24/erin-intv-nugent-president-and-cnn-are-wrong.cnn.html

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/florida-house-candidate-joshua-black-calls-for-hanging-of-president-obama/2161944

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/01/21/outdoor-channels-ted-nugent-says-subhuman-mongr/197669

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/02/18/cnns-wolf-blitzer-condemns-ted-nugents-subhuman/198103

http://t.mediaite.com/mediaite/#!/entry/blitzer-gets-superdetailed-on-nazi-origins-of-nugents-subhuman-mongrel,5303b79ab7d8d24162cba74f/2

http://youtu.be/7_fgA01nUoI

https://www.diversityinc.com/news/ted-nugent-calls-president-obama-subhuman-mongrel-offensive-tweets/

http://crossfire.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/18/jones-calls-out-ted-nugent-over-racist-comments/

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2014/02/21/top-republicans-condemn-ted-nugents-subhuman-mo/198168

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2014/02/21/Rocker-Ted-Nugent-Apologizes-for-Using-Phrase-Subhuman-Mongrel

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Ted-Nugent-Greg-Abbott-Rick-Perry-Texas/2014/02/21/id/554067

http://youtu.be/D-2o1HFiFVI

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/02/25/jeff-nugent-says-brother-ted-nugent-crossed-a-line-with-sub-human-comment/

So Many Angry White Men: Why Is That?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by alphaheel

Last week, I wrote about the case of the Loud Music Murder. Over the weekend, a jury convicted Michael Dunn on four of the five counts, with which he was charged. The convictions covered three counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count of hurling a lethal object into a vehicle (translation: he shot into a car, including while the driver was trying to flee a barrage of bullets).

During this week’s news coverage, Mr. Dunn, and George Zimmerman (Trayvon Martin’s murderer) professed themselves to have been victims. Dunn, in his specific case, describes himself as both victim and victor. In both instances, the perpetrators indicated that they feared for their own lives. That assertion was critical in validating the efficacy of their Stand Your Ground claims. In his version of the story, Dunn told jurors that he saw a gun. He had initially told officers he saw what he thought was the barrel of a gun, but also stated the object may have been a stick or some other object. In the “lawyered-up,” recalibrated for the jury story, Mr. Dunn expressed full confidence that what he saw was a gun.

Despite the fact that police never found a weapon of any kind, defense attorneys were apparently more persuasive in convincing jurors that Dunn saw the alleged ghost gun, than prosecutors were in arguing that there was no such weapon. The irony of this is, even though the defense could not produce a weapon, and the young men fired no shots, the jury found itself unable to find the defendant guilty of the only charge that resulted in a young man’s death. The one count that resulted in a hung jury was the first-degree murder of Jordan Davis.

The three counts of attempted second-degree murder each carry a 20-year sentence. The lethal object count carries a 15-year sentence. Together, the four charges for which the jury convicted Mr. Dunn indicate the 47-year old will spend up to 75 years behind bars.

That is certainly a substantial consequence for his actions. Still, what concerns many observers is the fact that such an outcome may be interpreted as Dunn having been convicted for being a poor shot. That is to say, the jury convicted him for the three instances in which he failed to kill.

In last week’s post, I shared several of Dunn’s controversial letters, which includes these:

Mr. Dunn wrote a number of letters that contain controversial, if not combustible statements. In one letter to his daughter, he is alleged to have written, “This may sound a bit radical but if more people would arm themselves and kill these **** idiots when they’re threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior.” (As reported by WNET News)

He also wrote, “As you can imagine, I’m not getting much sympathy from the press. The’re (sic) a bunch of liberal b…..s. North Florida is more like the Deep South. They seem to have a lot of racial guilt, or at least the prosecutor’s office does.”

In another letter, he wrote, “It’s spooky how racist everyone is up here and how biased toward blacks the courts are. This jail is full of blacks and they all act like thugs.”

In a letter to his girlfriend, he wrote, “My fear is that if I get a black on my jury it will be a mistrial, as I am convinced they will be racially biased.”

Since the trial ended, authorities released several phone transcripts, including one in which Dunn not only claims victim status, but also suggests he is akin to a rape victim. When taken in whole cloth, he may have claimed he was scared (feared for his life), but I submit it is difficult to argue in good conscience that Dunn is not an angry dude. He maintains a heaping helping of vitriol for young black men.

Despite the fact that I believe Dunn’s case has race bias all over it, and through-and-through, the one thing that I believe attaches itself to most of the violent gun deaths we have been seeing over the past several years is anger. Moreover, in most of the cases, whether Stand Your Ground, or mass murders, that anger has made itself evident in white men.

So why are white men so angry? There are many popular theories that observers posit to explain this phenomenon. Most of them revolve, in one way or another, around concerns about the Incredible Shrinking White Majority. There are several components to this argument. Most accounts include:

• The historical dominance of white males in American society

• Low birth rates among white Americans

• Relatively higher birth rates among African Americans and non-white Latinos

• Non-white immigration

• Emergence of Latinos as the country’s largest minority

• Census reports that project a majority-minority nation by 2043

• President Barack Hussein Obama

Undoubtedly, there are other arguments and concerns out there in the universe. However, one can trace many if not most of them, back to one or more of the items above. While, none of these issues fundamentally alters the composition of Fortune 500 corporate boardrooms, or the net worth of America’s wealthiest Barons of business and tech, it is in many ways all about optics.

This country is a special place. In some quarters, there is a long-standing, persistent, and salient argument that holds we are an exceptional nation. Regardless of your position on that question, there is no denying that America was the dominant national presence of the 20th Century, and by many measures, continues to call the top of the heap, home.

For many, this lofty perch, and the accomplishments that undergird it, symbolizes the accomplishments of white men and the privilege that accompanies them. Not surprising, any pending change to that comfortably familiar narrative it apt to produce some angst; and so it has. That palpable anxiety, not surprisingly, appears more frequently, and more explosively, not in those who sit atop chambers of wealth and success, but among those who are still climbing the ladders to success, and who feel they have the most to lose.

These men too often believe that “the others” are taking that which by virtue of erstwhile white privilege, belongs to them. In other words, I am positing that it is not about loud music, popcorn, or cell phones. No, it is about the baseless assertion that blacks and Latinos are taking white folks stuff, most notably, the Presidency. “So Many Angry White Men: Why Is That?” That, in a nutshell, is why!

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/02/did_white_male_insecurity_kill_jordan_davis.html?wpisrc=burger

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/18/opinion/cevallos-dunn-verdict-critics/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/sides-michael-dunn-trial-speak-jury-ruling-article-1.1617789

http://kuow.org/post/verdict-floridas-loud-music-trial-causes-uproar-over-self-defense-laws

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-cole/elegy-for-fairness_b_4804687.html

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2014/02/the-political-verdict-on-michael-dunn.html

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/michael-dunn-trial/2014/02/18/i-was-the-victim-michael-dunn-jailhouse-phone-call/5574135/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-prosecutors-overcharge-accused-loud-music-shooter/

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/371391/few-thoughts-michael-dunn-trial-charles-c-w-cooke

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-dunn-described-himself-as-victim-victor-after-killing-teenager-in-argument-over-music/

“Turn Down That Music!”

Posted on February 12, 2014 by alphaheel

Once upon a time Florida was known primarily for being the home of endless sunshine, golden beaches, and no state taxes. Today, those items are still true, yet none of them springs to mind when I think of the Seminole State. Whenever I hear anyone mention Florida, I think, immediately, of the State’s Stand Your Ground Law.

Of course, it is important to point out that such statutes are commonplace in the contemporary American milieu. Yet, no State in the Union has had more or more controversial shootings in which the law was a key element of the defense. The Trayvon Martin (armed with a bag of Skittles and a beverage) case may be the instance that gained the most notoriety. The Chad Oulson (armed with a bag of popcorn and a cell phone) case may be the most recent incident. However, the Jordan Davis (yet to be determined whether a weapon was present) case is currently unfolding in trial.

During the days of the Old West, Tombstone, Arizona, in Cochise County, was the epitome of the television version of the Wild, Wild West. Tombstone was a place where the notion of Stand Your Ground was the order of the day. It is the real live location of the Earp Brothers’ (Wyatt, Virgil, Warren, and Morgan) famous “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.” Stand Your Ground was a way of life…and/or, unfortunately, death.

I do not equate Florida today with 19th Century Arizona. However, it seems some people do. Moreover, it appears that far too many of those who do, not only have the weapons to prove it, but the will, and more important, the desire, to demonstrate their convictions.

Mr. Michael Dunn is currently on trial in Jacksonville for the death of young Mr. Davis. The case is under litigation, and I do not presume to know the likely outcome. The George Zimmerman (Trayvon Martin) case reminded us that the jury will make the ultimate call. In the interim, there are a few items worth noting.

Among points stipulated, we have the following:

• A 47 year-old white male standing his ground in November 2012

• A 17 year-old black teen shot to death during the encounter

• A shooter claiming self-defense and fear for his life

• No weapon found on the victim, in the vehicle, or on the other passengers

• The shooter fired up to 10 shots, three of which hit the victim

• The shooter continued to shoot after the teens fled

• The shooter and his fiancé left the scene & spent the night in a hotel

• They did not call police that night

• They saw on TV the next morning a teen had been killed in the incident

• They did not then call police

• The shooter pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from the incident

• The shooter has been charged with murder and attempted murder

• The shooter testified he left the scene so his dog could potty

• The shooter said he told his fiancé he saw a gun

• His fiancé said he did not

• The prosecution provided a letter in which the shooter wrote, he did not

• The shooter said he heard Davis call him a cracker and a m……….r

• The shooter said he heard Davis threaten to kill him

• The shooter said the victim got out of the car

• The shooter said he then began firing

The above items are a sampling, and do not represent the entirety of events of the first eight days of Mr. Dunn’s trial. They comprise a view largely representative of the Prosecution’s angle because the Prosecution was presenting its case during this time. Undoubtedly, the Defense will vigorously work to construct a distinctly different narrative as it presents its case.

In addition to the items above, sources report Mr. Dunn wrote a number of letters that contain controversial, if not combustible statements. In one letter to his daughter, he is alleged to have written, “This may sound a bit radical but if more people would arm themselves and kill these **** idiots when they’re threatening you, eventually they may take the hint and change their behavior.” (As reported by WNET News)

In another letter, he wrote, “It’s spooky how racist everyone is up here and how biased toward blacks the courts are. This jail is full of blacks and they all act like thugs.”

In a letter to his girlfriend, he wrote, “My fear is that if I get a black on my jury it will be a mistrial, as I am convinced they will be racially biased.”

I am not endeavoring to prematurely, convict Mr. Dunn. If anything, I am once again, trumpeting the view that Stand Your Ground is an implausible concept in the 21st Century. Like it or not, this is not the Old West. In my view, Stand Your Ground is an anachronistic notion that emboldens people to abandon caution and any instinct to avoid conflict, and instead invites them to take the law into their own amply armed hands. As such, it has readily discernible negative consequences on the fabric of our society.

Of course, the Stand Your Ground phenomenon is a systemic offshoot of the enthusiastic efforts of the Gun Lobby to promote “all things guns.” In retrospect, may I suggest, you would be wise to take heed, if anyone ever asks you to, “Turn Down That Music!” If this instance is any indication, not doing so could result in deadly consequences.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/justice/florida-loud-music-trial/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/11/us-usa-florida-shooting-dunn-idUSBREA1A1HJ20140211

http://news.yahoo.com/prosecution-wraps-case-florida-loud-music-murder-trial-231822065.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-dunn-trial-state-rests-in-loud-music-murder-case/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/prosecution-rests-trial-michael-davis-fla-killing-loud-music-article-1.1609070

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-loud-music-murder-trial-michael-dunn-20140211,0,6580882.story#axzz2t4WhBxOW

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/02/michael_dunn_takes_stand_racist_letters_take_center_stage_online.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-your-ground_law

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0776/Sections/0776.013.html

Is God a Football Fan?

Posted on February 5, 2014 by alphaheel

For weeks leading up to the 2014 Super Bowl, there was an active discussion regarding the wisdom, or lack thereof, in choosing a location in the Northeast, or any non-warm weather city for that matter, for the big game. In the age of the Super Bowl era, which began in 1967, prior to 2014, organizers scheduled all Super Bowls in warm weather cities or domes stadiums.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in explaining the Selection Committee’s decision to choose MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey as the venue for this past Sunday’s event, Super Bowl XXXXVIII, said the committee decided it would be good to spread the opportunity to host the game all across the country. The New York-Newark area undoubtedly made a compelling case for hosting the event. Still, there is a reason the League opted not to hold its signature event outside in the elements, in a cold weather city. Only time would tell if deviating from the tried and true model was merely a mistake, or a miscalculation of “gi-normous” proportion.

In the week prior to the Big Game, an unusual phenomenon known as the Polar Vortex generated the coldest temperatures in 20 years for half the United States, including Metropolitan New York and New Jersey, which coincidentally was set to host the Super Bowl. In the days, leading up to Super Sunday, staff and contractors executed what amounted to snow and ice removal drills at MetLife Stadium. By middle of last week, meteorologists’ weather models projected that the game time temperatures would be in the 40’s with no precipitation.

In deed, that is just what happened. The game was played in conditions about as ideal as could be expected for the first weekend in February at MetLife Stadium. However, according to the New York Daily News, snow hit the Greater New York area just hours after the Super Bowl, starting around 4:00 a.m. Monday. The storm blanketed the stadium with snow on Monday, but more important, airlines canceled more than 2,150 flights nationally, according to the website FlightAware. After reviewing the situation, I have one simple question. “Is God a Football Fan?” While I do not even purport to process and answer that query, I did conclude one thing. He does not root for the Broncos, at least not this season.

That is all I have. I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/. Find a new post each Wednesday.

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.